On 12 May, the Planetary Security Initiative (PSI) is officially launching the Basra Forum (BF) for Climate, Environment and Security at its second climate-security dialogue in Basra, southern Iraq. The forum seeks to foster dialogue and collaboration among Iraqi civil society, governmental institutions, non-governmental organisations, academia, and other relevant actors working in the fields of climate change, environmental degradation and security.
With landscapes parched, animals collapsing and dying, and people fleeing to camps with only the possessions they can carry, the drought in the Horn of Africa is already causing acute suffering.
Climate change shifts the priorities of communities and security providers. How can we measure climate impacts on rural and indigenous women’s security to make better policies and decisions?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group III (WGIII) on Mitigation released its contribution to the Sixth Assessment Cycle (AR6) on April 4 after the longest approval plenary in the IPCC’s history.
In this interview, the PSI talked to Evgenia Chamilou, UN Youth Champion for Environment and Peace, from Cyprus. Evgenia is 23 years old and has been involved in advocacy, youth empowerment, European affairs and diplomacy from a young age. Having finished her Master's in Public International Law at the London School of Economics, she is currently a trainee at the Council of Europe.
Traditionally, European climate constituencies have mainly focused on the challenge of decarbonising big oil, gas and energy-intensive industry sectors, such as steel and cement. The climate change movement has largely been seen as a civilian-led movement, with a pervading suspicion that allowing militaries to be part of the conversation may result in them misusing the climate agenda for their own agenda. However, the rise of great power politics has brought Europe’s security and enhanced European defence cooperation back on the political agenda.
Environmental peacemaking is guiding a new initiative in the border region of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. The 18-month project will be implemented by the European Institute of Peace (EIP) and TrustWorks Global, with financial support from the Directorate of Defence of Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
On 9 March 2022, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) convened a ministerial-level Arria-formula meeting on climate finance in the United Nations ECOSOC chamber. Titled “Climate Finance for Sustaining Peace and Security”, the discussion provided a new angle on the climate-security nexus. Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine loomed over the discussions, with a majority of speakers explicitly condemning Russia’s actions as an “unjustified and unprovoked invasion”.
“The future depends on us, not the climate,” said Dr.
Climate change is the most significant planetary crisis of the modern era. It is a uniquely multidimensional and intersectional phenomenon, altering the biophysical environment in tremendous ways. Its global scale, variable impact, and long-term effects make it nothing less than an existential threat.
